Forget Elf on the Shelf - Norwich City have Crnac in attack!

For those unfamiliar, this is the annual game in the run-up to Christmas which involves a toy elf sent to watch over the younglings on behalf of the big man from the North Pole.

I've got no real clue where this comes from, but it has morphed into a bit of a social media phenomenon whereby the elf is placed in more and more precarious and amusing circumstances each morning to show what the mischievous elf has been up to overnight.

It's all for the amusement of the children, of course, definitely not the parents...

But as parents rack their brains for new and inventive ways of creating this mischief (sorry kids, illusion shattered) us City fans are getting to see our own rhyming couplet emerge just in time for the busy festive period.

You've heard of Elf on the Shelf - well get ready for Crnac in attack!

Now I confess, I may have slightly Anglicised his name to make the rhyme better but nonetheless, the past week has been quite the watershed moment for the Croatian sensation.

After City's third goal in the rout against Plymouth, I turned to my dad and made what felt like a greedy request.

I said: "Before this game is over, I want three things to happen. I want Sainz to finish his hat-trick, I want six goals to avenge last season and I want Ante Crnac to get on the scoresheet."

At the time, I felt I was asking a lot - so you can imagine how chuffed I was when all three came in (and slightly regretful for not craftily placing a bet).

That game in particular I really felt for the squeaky-voiced striker, as it looked like for all his endeavour he wouldn't notch.

So when his late effort went in, I cheered louder than any of the other goals - and not just because of the way it completed the revenge for our Home Park battering last season.

I was really beginning to worry about Crnac, not because I didn't see anything in him, but because his goalscoring record was starting to look like a burden.

I know social media is also a long way from the best gauge of public opinion, but it also started to appear fans were ready to get on his back and give him the ever-annoying scapegoat treatment.

In a way, he was starting to remind me in a way of another of City's big money signings - Ricky van Wolfswinkel.

I always liked the Wolf and really felt for him during his Carrow Road stay - he was always a square peg in a round hole of Chris Hughton's playing style, but he was blamed for this.

The Dutchman always made intelligent runs and read the game well, but the style of play never suited him and he never really shook his price tag.

I was beginning to fear Crnac would be going the same way, despite also making intelligent runs, having a nice touch and working incredibly hard - all of which were true of Wolfswinkel.

But at the weekend we saw just what a massive difference goals can make - on Saturday he had an extra spring in his step and looked every bit the striker we need.

He also showed real intelligence to set up Emi Marcondes when he could quite easily have tried to get his hat-trick.

While clearly he deserves the lion's share of credit for finding his scoring boots, his boss also deserves some kudos.

It can't be any coincidence that the goals and assists have started to come just after Johannes Hoff Thorup publicly commented that this was what we needed from him.

Clearly, it is a big risk to publicly dig out a player and can go disastrously wrong - but in this case, it hasn't.

Thorup has clearly assessed Crnac's character and worked out it was a risk worth taking and this seems to be paying off.

Arriving at Norwich City with a big price tag almost never works out - so many of our marquee signings over the years have failed to live up to their billing.

Reading through the club's record signing list is a real who's who of nearly men. 

According to online database Transfermarkt, which isn't normally far off, the top three on this list are Christos Tzolis, Milot Rashica and Steven Naismith - none of whom will ever be anywhere near the club's Hall of Fame.

Timm Klose, next on the list, has his place in folklore but did have a City career hampered by injuries.

Then, according to the list, it's Crnac, so clearly in City money, what we paid was top dollar.

Clearly this is a big weight to carry, but if these recent signs continue he's going to prove great value for money.

Is Sainz our best ever freebie?

(Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) Speaking of value for money - it really would be impossible to get through a column without discussing Borja Sainz at the minute.

There are no superlatives left to describe his goalscoring form this season.

But what seems to have been forgotten in all the deserved Sainz hype is his transfer fee - or a lack of.

So much is made of Teemu Pukki having been a free transfer - rightly so - and it felt nigh-on impossible to consider anybody else being our best-ever freebie.

But given what is likely to happen in the next year or so, perhaps it is fair to say that Borja is competition for that crown.

Clearly he won't come away with Pukki's numbers goal-wise - although who knows if his stay is as long - but boy is he going to make us some profit when he inevitably does leave.

Just one last point...

I usually try to resist the temptation of talking about our noisy neighbours, but I thought I might make one little exception in this case.

With the Premier League now truly past the 'table taking shape' phase I thought I'd take a look and compare our previous efforts with Ipswich's at the same stage.

Bear in mind at this point Ipswich spent more in the summer than we did in our last three Premier League tilts and City constantly face accusations of "not giving it a go".

After 14 games in 2021, Norwich had 10 points.

After 14 games in 2019, Norwich had 11 points.

After 14 games in 2015, Norwich had 13 points.

After 14 games in 2024, Ipswich have nine.

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